Blink
by Soraan
Summary: Set 30 years before the Second War and Fires of Rebirth. For five years, Alyna has had a secret – she has developed the ability to wield magic. However, her lack of training is making it increasingly difficult to control a talent that others covet, and she wished she did not have. Part of the Farstrider Chronicles. Short story. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another three-chapter short story, though these are fairly short chapters. Again, this will not be updated any further.**

* * *

 **Blink**

 **Chapter 1**

Alyna knew she was on edge, but she tried to ignore her raging nerves as she rode her Quel'dorei steed at the head of her unit. They had been escorting two magisters on some kind of research mission into the southern valleys. Ordinarily, mages of such accomplishment so as to be entitled 'magister' would have no need for an escort, but their region of interest was frequently attacked by a local tribe of jungle trolls.

The magisters had arrived five days ago at her company headquarters unannounced, which was not unusual for mages. They generally expected society to bend to their whims and saw no need to plan ahead. Alyna had been initially irritated by their demand for an escort, but was willing to grant it. That was until they had produced an official-looking scroll that was directly addressed to her. Her grandfather, Grand Magister Belo'vir Salonar, was personally requesting she lead the escort herself to guarantee the safety of his researchers.

If it had been a typical day, she would not have had a problem with having an excuse to get out into the forest. But she hadn't had a typical day for a few years now. Alyna had a secret that was becoming increasingly more difficult to control: she had somehow developed the ability to wield magic. She had very little, if any, control over it and she was having a hard time covering it up. It had resulted in her progressively becoming more isolated to keep from being discovered, so a random jaunt into the forest with nowhere to hide and lots of potential witnesses was the last thing she needed right now.

They were four days into their journey and still in the forest. It would take a couple more days of travel before they reached the foothills of the southern mountains, and another day after that to get to the valley they needed. Alyna had very much kept to herself. While she had no real direct control over her magic, she knew that there was a greater chance of something happening if she was in a heightened emotional state. The easiest way to avoid that, was to not get engaged in conversation. As time went on though, that had become impossible to avoid.

The main instigator of her current problems was currently riding along next to her.

"I know you've said you're fine," started Kyala, "But I'm worried about you."

"I really am fine," Alyna reiterated.

The older woman dropped her voice and whispered, "Have you two had a fight?"

Alyna glanced at her friend, knowing she was referring to Sylvanas. "No. It was a great visit actually." Sylvanas had been home to Windrunner Spire a couple of weeks previously, and Alyna had made the three hour ride south to join her for a few days. They had spent most of it lounging around on the beach and generally just enjoying each other's company. It had been the most relaxed Alyna had felt in a long time and, inadvertently, there had been only one magical incident that Sylvanas had not even noticed when she had somehow managed to levitate their picnic basket.

Kyala smiled. "You were certainly well tanned when you got home."

"You've never been to the Spire, have you? Why don't you come with me next time? The beach is very relaxing," Alyna offered.

"Ahh … I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be."

Kyala appeared to consider the offer. "I'll think about it. Though, with both of us gone you know your unit will run amok."

She had raised her voice at the last sentence, and the rangers behind them chuckled. One of them shouted back, "We're not that bad!"

"You're right!" Kyala retorted, "You're worse!"

Their laughter carried through the air, but it did not drown out the scream ahead of them. Kyala and Alyna exchanged a worried glance and kicked their horses into a trot. The rest of the unit followed, the two magisters in their midst. As they rounded a corner a terrified female elf skidded to a halt in front of them, her eyes wide in terror. A split second later, a rope landed around her neck and tightened, cutting off the scream she had tried to get out.

"Trolls!" shouted Kyala, and the entire unit dismounted as one, drawing swords and loading their bows. Their trained steeds trotted back down the road out of harm's way as Alyna fired her first arrow into the troll who had wrangled the young woman before them. She stepped around the choking and spluttering woman, knowing she'd be okay.

The trolls had attacked a group of merchants, which unfortunately was not unusual for this part of Quel'Thalas. Normally though, the merchants hired bodyguards and she could see none fighting the trolls, just poorly equipped civilians. Two of the trolls picked up a pair of unconscious elves, a male and female, and darted into the trees. Alyna made eye contact with some of her rangers and bolted after them. She knew Kyala would take care of the remaining trolls while Alyna led the charge to rescue the kidnapped elves.

The trolls were easy to track given their loads, so when it became clear the trolls had split up, so did the elves with Alyna taking a young woman called Alaana with her. When the tracks changed, Alyna became wary and slowed their progress down as she tried to figure out why they had become slightly blurred. It only took her a moment to realise it was because a second troll was stepping in the prints of a leader, but Alaana had already cried out in surprise by that point. Alyna turned just in time to see the young woman drop to the forest floor unconscious, a large troll now barrelling towards Alyna.

He was too close for her to use her bow. She tried to duck, but he grabbed her slender arm in his huge two-fingered hand and yanked her off her feet. With no real effort, he hurled her bodily towards a tree. She braced for the impact, hoping idly it would not break her neck as she flew towards it head first, but the impact did not come as she expected. For a brief moment, her body tingled all over and the world blurred. When it snapped back into focus, she had a split second of confusion before she slammed into the floor and skidded a couple of metres. In a daze, she rolled to her feet and looked back at the troll, but she could only see part of him – the tree she should have slammed into stood between them and blocked her view. She had somehow _blinked_ through it in a manoeuvre she knew only mages could perform as her elder siblings had constantly blinked around her to annoy her when she was young. In a move that showed he was just as confused as she was, the troll peered around the side of the tree to see where she had gone, and was surprised to see her on the other side.

Alyna didn't wait for him to recover. She pulled a throwing dagger from her belt and hurled it at him, finding her mark as it buried itself in his eye deep enough to fatally wound his brain. While she knew she had killed him, she still watched his body collapse just to be sure. She heard a scream from not too far away, and figured one of the elves was no longer unconscious. She looked at Alaana who was groggily trying to sit up, and was waved away. Drawing her sword, Alyna ran in the direction of the scream.

As she reached a natural clearing in the forest, she could see the elven woman running frantically across it towards her. Behind her were five trolls. They were chasing her and laughing, seemingly toying with her. Alyna was torn. She knew she had to help the woman somehow, but she could not hope to succeed against five trolls. She quickly unslung her bow and nocked an arrow, looking for anything that she could do with it to give the woman time to reach the trees. If she could get that far, perhaps they could lose them in the forest.

But they were gaining on her too fast. In a desperate attempt to help, Alyna fired her arrow and began to reload. She figured she could take three of them out before they reached her position in the trees, and she would just have to take her chances with her sword after that. As she aimed her second arrow, the woman stumbled and fell. Alyna swore and loosed her next arrow, catching one of the trolls in the throat.

"Get up!" she cried at the woman, but she seemed resigned to her fate. Alyna growled her frustration, willing the woman to get to her feet and keep going. She desperately wished she delay the trolls somehow.

With no warning, a wall of flames erupted from the grassy ground between the woman and the trolls. One of them didn't manage to stop in time and fell through the wall, setting himself alight. Both the remaining trolls and the woman stared at him in shock, none of them having expected such a thing to happen.

"RUN!" screamed Alyna. The woman now turned towards her and saw her for the first time. To Alyna's great relief, she picked herself up and began to run again, just as Alyna felt a presence at her shoulder. She whirled around, holding her bow out defensively, but she quickly saw she wouldn't need it. She had been found by the two magisters, their robes slightly torn from their jog through the trees. One of them gave her an odd look before they were very quickly joined by the elven woman. She flew into the arms of the second very surprised magister.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you!" He looked at Alyna and his companion in confusion before looking back at the woman who was still thanking him profusely. "If not for the fire, they'd have had me. Thank you so much!"

Alyna stepped in and took the woman by the arm. "There'll be time for that later. We need to get back to the road." She looked at the magisters who nodded their agreement, and the group hurriedly made their way back through the trees, collecting Alaana along the way. When they made it back to the unit, Alyna was relieved to see that all of her rangers were accounted for, albeit some with scratches and bruises they did not start the day with. They had managed to save five of the travelling nine elves, more by fortuitous luck in their arrival than anything else, and Alyna made the executive decision to escort them to the nearest village and call for reinforcements. She was not about to go any further without making sure there were no more trolls in the area, and she didn't give a damn if the Council didn't like the delay in their research. Her first duty was to the people, and she had to make sure they were protected now there was an active troll party in the immediate area.

She had just finished arguing that fact with one of the magisters when Kyala came over, leading her own steed and Alyna's.

"I'm going to hazard a wild guess and say our esteemed magisters are not happy with the delay," Kyala observed dryly.

Alyna rolled her eyes. "I daresay they have no option but to follow, unless they want to continue without us." She lifted herself into her saddle and gathered her reins. "Still, I have to say they were certainly useful. I don't think we'd have saved that woman I went after if they hadn't put that wall of fire up."

Kyala mounted her steed as well and pulled up alongside Alyna as the group got themselves together. "Fire? Are you sure?"

Alyna raised her eyebrows at her friend. "I think I know a wall of fire when I see one. Hot. Orangey-red. Hint of yellow. Burns trolls nicely. Did I mention hot?"

It was Kyala's turn to roll her eyes as she flashed her captain a patient smile. "I just thought they were both arcane mages, and therefore unable to create such a thing." She shrugged. "I must have been wrong."

Except now that Kyala had mentioned it, Alyna was sure that she wasn't, and her stomach dropped. The only other possibility was that Alyna had somehow created the fire herself, but was she really capable of such a thing without conscious thought? She had willed something to stop the trolls but she'd have happily dodged a herd of stampeding bulls just the same. She now understood the look the magister had given her, and a cold fear began to spread form her heart.

What had she just done?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Alyna and Kyala road side by side up the access road towards their company headquarters, Farstrider Sanctuary. It had been a long month away, and it had taken most of that time to sort out the troll incursion. She was proud of the work her company had done, and they had even managed to escort the infuriating magisters to the southern valley to get their research done. They had created a portal and used it to go back to Silvermoon two weeks ago, and Alyna was glad to be almost home herself.

That was until she saw a ranger running towards them, a frantic look on his face. "Captain! By the Sunwell, I'm glad you're back!"

She pulled her steed to a halt as he approached. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head as he recovered from his sprint. "They arrived this morning and … well, Captain. It's your father, Magister Salonar. He says he's on urgent business."

Alyna felt her blood freeze in her body. She had feared what the magisters she had escorted would say about what they had seen her do, but for her father to have arrived so quickly meant they must have reported to the Magisterium as soon as they'd landed in Silvermoon.

"Is he alone?" she asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"No, ma'am. He has half a dozen arcanists with him, armed with battle-staves."

Alyna closed her eyes and felt her head drop dejectedly. "Shit," she muttered quietly to herself. To her ranger, she said, "Thank you for warning me. Please return to your post."

The ranger saluted and trotted back up the road.

When she looked up, Kyala had pulled her mount close enough to Alyna that their legs were touching. She had a look of genuine concern on her face. "Why do I get the feeling you know what this is about?"

Alyna looked up the road towards her home, suddenly not wanting to go any further.

"Because I do," she said simply.

"Care to fill me in?"

She knew she could easily turn her steed around, and gallop away. She could go back down south, and disappear into the hills. If she wanted, she could make the journey over them and escape into the human lands beyond. But what good would that do her? She would be alone, and she would be dangerous to be around if she couldn't get her magic under control.

And she would never see Sylvanas again.

Alyna sighed deeply and kicked her steed into a walk. "Not particularly, but you're all about to find out anyway."

Kyala manoeuvred her steed to remain level with her captain. "Alyna, you're scaring me."

"There's nothing for you to be scared about, my friend," she replied, not bothering to chastise her for using her name instead of her title. "They're not here for you."

"Here for … Alyna?" There was genuine fear in her friend's voice now and she felt a strong hand grab her forearm. "Is this what I think it is?" she whispered loudly, but not enough for those behind to hear.

Alyna patted Kyala's hand fondly. "About Sylvanas?" She almost laughed. "No, no. It's not about her." She tilted her head sideways for a moment, thinking. "This is … much worse."

She could see her friend mouthing the word 'worse' as she tried to wrap her mind around what could possibly be worse than Alyna's family finding out about her romantic relationship with Sylvanas. Not giving her another chance to ask more questions, Alyna urged her horse into a trot. The rest of her unit joined her, and they rode proudly the rest of the way.

As they passed through the main gate, a horn sounded to signal her arrival home for what she knew would be her last time. The access road led straight into a large central parade ground, and she could see an expensive looking carriage drawn up along the side. She instantly recognised her family's crest emblazoned along the side. She rode past it, and pulled her steed to a halt in front of the largest building in the area. In front of it, flanked by his arcanists, was her expensively-robed magister father.

As she dismounted, she could see her rangers beginning to gather. It was not unusual for some to come greet her when she arrived home after being away for a while, but this time was different. It was as if they could all sense that something was about to happen, and everyone who was home had turned out to witness it.

Inwardly, she sighed. A small part of her had hoped this would happen privately, but she now knew her humiliation would be public. Still, she held her head high as she approached her father, sensing more than seeing Kyala at her side, and grateful for it.

He had visibly aged since she last saw him over ninety years ago. He'd had little to do with her once he had determined she would never be a mage, focusing instead on her older siblings. When she had announced her acceptance to the Farstrider Academy he had all but cut her out of his life. She hadn't cared. They'd never seen eye to eye.

"Magister Salonar," she greeted him formally. "Welcome to Farstrider Sanctuary."

He stared at her coolly. "Hello, Alyna."

He had used her first name on purpose, and it had the intended effect despite her best efforts to the contrary. She let her frustration show. "Well, if it's going to be like that … what are you doing here?"

Her father briefly glanced at one of his arcanists and then back at Alyna. "By order of the Magisterium and the Council of Silvermoon, I am here to formally test you … for the presence and practice of magic." She heard several gasps from the rangers around her, the loudest coming from Kyala. "Remove your gauntlet, and hold out your hand."

She glared at him angrily, steadfastly refusing to obey. The arcanist had handed him a small pouch, and she knew exactly what was in it – arcane dust. Mages used their bodies as conduits for all magic, but the vast majority of spells required the use of a mage's hands in order to cast it. That use left a residual effect that was undetectable, unless it came into contact with arcane dust. She knew as soon as the dust came into contact with her palm that it would result in sparks of energy. As a child she had watched all of her friends be tested this way. She remembered desperately wanting to see those sparks from her own palm, and had been distraught when the dust had just settled in a small pink pile in the centre of her hand.

Now, she would give anything to see that pink pile again, but she knew that would not happen.

"Alyna, hold out your palm," he urged.

Sighing dejectedly, she removed her left gauntlet and did as she was asked. Her father tugged on his own glove, making sure it was secure before he dipped his fingers into the pouch and sprinkled the fine pink dust over her palm.

The pain was instant as her hand flared violently, and she cried out in pain. Even her father took a step back in surprise, the rest of the dust in his hand thankfully falling to the floor.

"You _stupid_ girl!" He cried out in alarm. "Your lack of training has forced your magic to become chaotic! Why didn't you come home?" he lamented angrily. "You should have known better than to resist such a blessing!"

Alyna felt hot tears on her cheeks as she grit her teeth through the pain. She was vaguely aware of Kyala trying to help, but she shrugged her away. Alyna was angry and she whirled on her father.

"I should have known better?!" She laughed in disbelief. "How the hell am I supposed to know _anything_ about magic when you utterly _refused_ to even talk to me about it when you saw I wasn't manifesting it when I was young?" She tried to support her still burning hand as she spat her words. "You didn't give a _damn_ about me and treated me like I didn't exist to you anymore, all because I couldn't cast a spell! The moment you thought I wouldn't be a mage was the moment I ceased to exist for you!" She stepped closer, but raised her voice for everyone to hear. "Whatever 'ignorance' I possess is _entirely_ down to _you_ not giving a shit about your own daughter! All because I'm _different_."

He slapped her hard across the face, and she reeled from the blow, almost falling to the floor. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! If nothing else, I am your father!"

She held her stinging cheek with her good hand, her other still simmering painfully as she cradled it. "Your blood runs through my veins, but you have been no father to me."

He stepped towards her and growled, "Insolent child! You will learn respect if you have any sense about you."

She held her ground. "Respect is _earned_ , and all you've earned is my enduring contempt for everything that you are and represent."

"Perhaps that is how things work out here amongst the animals and filth, but where you're going _civilised_ people live by different rules."

Her rangers rankled at the insult as Alyna recoiled, the full impact of his words hitting her. "I'm not going anywhere," she stated stubbornly, though she had no idea how she could prevent her removal.

"You have no say in the matter," he replied bluntly. "Any person showing signs of magic has to be taken to Quel'Danas for training. You're a danger to yourself and to all those around you, particularly as your lack of training has twisted what you have into something chaotic. It's a small miracle you've not accidentally killed anyone yet."

She shook her head. "No. I can find someone to train me here."

His face hardened and two of the arcanists he had brought with him stepped forward. One murmured a few words and Alyna looked down at her hands, a ribbon of arcane energy wrapping itself around her wrists and binding them together.

"What? Wait!" she cried in alarm.

Her rangers now flowed into action to protect their captain, loading bows and drawing swords. Her father glanced around as his mages readied their staves before addressing his daughter. "You and I both know your wood and steel are harmless against the magic we wield, Alyna. Order them to stand down, or we _will_ defend ourselves."

She looked around at her people, momentarily proud of them for standing up for her despite knowing her father was right. "Stand down," she ordered.

Kyala stepped forward, her bow still loaded. "But, Captain!"

She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, my friend. I'll find another way to fight this, but you have to let them take me."

Their eyes locked briefly and she could see she was not the only one hurting. "We'll find the general and let her know," Kyala promised.

Her father chuckled wryly. "Ranger General Windrunner knows the law, and cannot interfere with a writ from the Magisterium regarding a mage."

"I'm a Ranger Captain and fall under _her_ command."

He shook his head. "The moment you manifested magic everything else ceased to matter. You're a Farstrider no longer. I suggest you accept that fact quickly, for your own sake."

"No …" she whispered as the enormity of what was happening began to sink in. "No! I can learn to control it and return here."

"That won't be possible, Alyna." He sighed impatiently. "You're a mage. You don't have to concern yourself now with anything else." He held his hand out towards her and she could sense a faint tingling through her body as he examined her magically. He grimaced at what he sensed and sighed. "We can't portal back because your magic is too unstable, even if your hands are bound. We'll have to take the damn carriage." He signalled to one of his mages who took hold of her arm and she instinctively tried to shrug him off, which led him to tighten his grip painfully. She could not resist as he half-dragged her to the waiting carriage.

Panic beginning to sink in, she turned to look at Kyala one last time. "Find her!"

"I will!" came the determined reply.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Alyna hugged her knees as best she could as she sat facing the campfire. They had spent the last five days travelling, and were only a couple more days from Silvermoon. They had stopped in a small village for the night, and the local mayor had practically fallen over himself as he offered his home to her father and the mages. They had accepted, as they thought was their right. Alyna had stubbornly refused, preferring to sleep outside, as she had every night. This had forced her father to leave two of his arcanists outside with her to act as guards, and they were making sure she knew of their discomfort.

She didn't care. They were ruining her life. She ate awkwardly as her hands were still bound, though she had no appetite. Her burnt hand had been finally healed at least as the village had a visiting priestess versed in healing magic. Ultimately, she was just relieved to be outside in the fresh air. The carriage was cramped and the ride had not been a smooth one despite the expensive suspension it possessed. Her father had almost constantly spoken about what Alyna would be learning, and who would teach it, but she had not engaged him at all in conversation. It had been a one-way stream of information she had no interest in.

She looked up as she heard a commotion in the direction of the village centre. She could hear horses snorting and stamping, and eventually voices raised in anger. One of them was instantly recognisable to her.

Only just managing to remember to be formal, she cried out, "General! I'm over here!"

After a brief pause in activity, she could hear approaching hooves. "Alyna?"

"Over here!" she yelled as she clambered to her feet, the two guards stepping nearer as she did so.

Sylvanas trotted into view on her large grey Quel'dorei steed. When she saw Alyna, she dismounted quickly, not even waiting for it to stop, before she rushed over to pull her into a fierce embrace. It took a moment before the general realised she wasn't being hugged back and she pulled away and looked down at Alyna's bound wrists. She whirled on one of the mages guarding Alyna.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded furiously.

"It's to prevent her from casting magic inadvertently and potentially hurting herself, or others," came the commanding tone of Alyna's father from behind them.

Sylvanas turned to regard the approaching magister. "Magister Salonar, I presume?"

He bowed his head slightly. "Ranger General Windrunner. I regret we are meeting under these circumstances, but it's an honour to meet you."

She did not return his pleasantry. "I had a rather urgent message telling me one of my captains had been kidnapped by her own father. Care to explain, Magister?"

If the words had any effect on her father, Alyna didn't see it. He calmly pulled a small scroll from inside his robes and handed it over to Sylvanas. When she had finished reading it, she glanced at Alyna before she addressed the magister. "I want to talk to my captain. Alone."

He took a moment to consider the request, and then turned to go back to the mayor's home, Alyna's guards following him.

Sylvanas moved around so she could keep an eye on any one who may approach them before she held the scroll out to Alyna, her tone clipped. "Have you seen this?"

She shook her head, "No." She took it from Sylvanas and began to read, her eyes widening in shock. It was a writ stamped by her own grandfather on behalf of the Council of Silvermoon and the Magisterium, authorising her father to detain and test Alyna for magical talent, and remove her to Quel'Danas for training if she was found to possess magic, by any means necessary. It had been issued at the request of her father, after hearing of a report from two fellow magisters regarding a Farstrider captain who they suspected of using magic to save the life of a civilian.

"I read your report regarding that event, and I keenly remember you _not_ mentioning that you used magic, or are even capable of such." Alyna realised Sylvanas was angry, and the general was now pacing. Sylvanas never paced, and to see her so agitated unsettled Alyna. "Do you have any idea how stupid you've just made me seem by my rushing out here to stop a legal proceeding issued by the Council themselves?"

Alyna blinked. "I … I'm sorry you've been inconvenienced by my life effectively coming to an end," she snapped bitterly.

"You're being melodramatic, Alyna," Sylvanas snapped back. "You've manifested magical talent; something most citizens would love to be able to do. I realise it's a bit of a shock having it happen so long after adolescence, but your life is _not_ coming to an end."

"That's so easy for you to say isn't it?" She could feel tears forming and she tried to blink them away. "It's not _your_ life being turned upside down! It's not _you_ being ripped away from everything you've worked hard for, and from everything you love!" Alyna stopped and blinked in realisation. "Wait, are you _happy_ that I'm being taken away? Is that it? I'm finally out of your hair?"

Sylvanas groaned. "By the Sunwell, not this again. I thought we were done with you thinking I don't want you in my life. I don't doubt this is going to make a complicated situation even more ridiculous, but I'm not about to abandon you."

"Sure as hell feels like it. You're just handing me over!"

"What the fuck am I supposed to do against an order from the Council, Alyna?" Sylvanas hissed. "Sure, I _could_ take you and leave but to what end? Where could we run to? We'd be caught, and I'd be arrested and thrown out of the Farstriders, and you'd still be taken to Quel'Danas to train as a mage, albeit as an effective prisoner yourself with absolutely no liberties."

Alyna slumped down to the floor, her body feeling cold despite the heat from the campfire. "So that's it," she said in defeat. She threw the scroll into the fire, causing Sylvanas to yelp as she tried to lunge after it.

"Ahh … shit! I can't believe you just did that," she groaned in annoyance.

"It's just parchment." She shrugged. "I'm still going to be taken against my will and you're still going to go back to Farstrider Enclave and get on with your life. Whether the writ exists or not now is a moot point. It's happening."

Sylvanas knelt down beside Alyna and threaded her fingers back through her own golden hair. "I'm not going back to the enclave just yet," she said softly. "I'm going to ride on to Silvermoon and see if I can talk to the Council before you arrive." She took Alyna's hand and squeezed it. "I don't know what's going to happen, but we're in this together, okay?"

Alyna looked up into the intent grey-blue eyes of her lover. "And if I'm now a mage for life?"

"We figured the distance out when I promoted you, and we'll figure this out too. If it means I'll have to attend a damn sight more Council meetings than I currently do so I'm closer to you for visits, then that's what I'll have to do."

Alyna smiled softly. "You hate those meetings."

Sylvanas quickly glanced around before she ducked her head down to give Alyna a brief but tender kiss. "I love you more," she whispered against her captain's lips. And with that, she was gone.

* * *

Alyna tugged at the awkward-fitting blue apprentice robe. Her mother had promised she'd have a better tailored one made before her father had told her to stop fussing. Obediently, her mother had obeyed and had left the room. With a growl, Alyna pulled the robe off over her head and threw it across her childhood bedroom before searching through her wardrobe. Nothing had changed since the last time she had seen it nine decades ago, and she was quite sure some of the clothing would disintegrate if she touched them.

Looking at the poor selection, she lamented her younger self's sense of fashion. She had tried to keep up with it in her youth in a vain attempt to fit in. She pulled out the drawers in frustration, and that's when she noticed the neatly folded pale blue leggings and tunic at the bottom of the wardrobe. She pulled out the simple garments and realised they were new. Her mother must have snuck them in there, she realised. Grateful, she pulled them on. They fit tightly, but then she hadn't expected a perfect fit. Her mother had used the last measurements available to her of a willowy youth. She was now a muscled woman and her new clothes left nothing to the imagination as they hugged every contour of her toned body.

Her only warning that someone was about to enter her room were the heavy steps on the landing outside before her father intruded into her solitude. His sense of entitlement had meant he never knocked, even when she was young. He looked at the discarded robe on the floor before looking her up and down in surprise.

"Where'd you get those from?" She pointed unhelpfully at the wardrobe. His surprise was quickly replaced with a frown as he realised the likely source. "No matter. You have a visitor. Don't keep her too long. We have work to do and I'm sure she is just as busy."

He left just as abruptly as he arrived before Sylvanas strode in, closing the door behind her. When she turned, Alyna could see the exhaustion on the face she knew so well, but it did not stop the older woman from looking Alyna up and down appreciatively, and she felt a little colour rise to her cheeks despite the situation. They regarded each other silently before Sylvanas took the first step forward. It acted as a release for Alyna and she flew into the waiting arms of her lover.

Strong arms held her tightly for long moments before she heard and felt a wretched sob shudder through Sylvanas' body. She pulled back and she knew by the look on her general's face that nothing could be done about her situation.

She had never heard her general sound so defeated. "I'm sorry, Alyna. I tried, but they just won't see reason. They ... they made me officially withdraw your commission."

Alyna felt the words like a physical blow, and she felt faint. Sylvanas took her weight and guided them to the bed where they sat together. She grasped just how much she had been hoping Sylvanas could make the Council agree to letting Alyna go back to being a ranger after she was no longer a threat. She felt her tears run hotly down her cheeks. Sylvanas was blinking away some of her own.

"This is not what I am," Alyna whispered hoarsely. "I'm a ranger … I can't be a mage."

Sylvanas held her close, her hand making slow circles on her lower back in an attempt to calm her. She felt her general rest her cheek against the top of her head as she spoke. "If there's one thing I've learnt about you, my love, it's that you can be whatever you set your mind to."

Alyna pulled away to gape at Sylvanas. "You're saying to … be the best mage I can be? Embrace something I hate?"

Sylvanas pinched the bridge of her nose. "Life as a mage can be highly restrictive when you're starting out. What I'm suggesting … is that you focus on becoming as accomplished a mage as you have become a ranger. The higher you rise amongst their ranks; the more freedom you'll have to do what you want." She gently brushed Alyna's wet cheek tenderly with her fingers. "The more freedom _we'll_ have to be together."

Alyna wrapped her fingers around Sylvanas' and held them tightly. "You'll visit?" she asked hopefully.

Sylvanas smiled softly. "As regularly as I can. They won't be able to stop me from seeing you." She glanced around the bedroom. "Though, you may want to move out of your father's house if we're to have any kind of privacy."

Alyna agreed. "Not to mention retain my sanity. This is all bad enough without living under his roof. I'll make it a priority."

The exhausted general pulled Alyna into a long, explorative kiss, and the younger woman sunk into it readily. It was over too soon though, and they rested their foreheads together after, neither wanting to be the first to move.

"You have to go," Alyna said sadly, desperately not wanting to be left alone in this new world.

The general sighed. "The longer I stay, the more likely your father will catch us doing something he'll disapprove of."

"I like those things."

Sylvanas chuckled. "So do I." She paused before saying quietly, "I love you. Once I've sorted a few things out, I'll be back, I promise."

Alyna nodded, their foreheads still touching. She knew Sylvanas had to fill her now vacant captaincy, and deal with the repercussions of one of her Farstriders being publically removed from office and escorted up through Quel'Thalas in magical restraints. It was a public relations nightmare for the general, and she'd have to confront it sooner rather than later.

"I love you too, my General. I'll be waiting."

They shared one more kiss before Sylvanas reluctantly left. Alyna curled up into herself on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She could hear voices below her as Sylvanas said her farewells, and with a heavy heart, she listened to the sound of retreating hoof beats as the woman she loved went back to the life Alyna would never know again.


End file.
